I enjoy a good polemic and I also appreciate didactic drama. But I’m not so serious that I don’t adore well crafted pap. Often people ask why a seemingly otherwise balanced and normal man watches Doctor Who and, by extension, Torchwood. I don’t have kids after all and I’m not an obsessed sci-fi geek. When […]
Politics and Torchwood: Children of Earth Read More »
Things have moved on a little since I wrote my first post about Michael Jackson tickets and the situation regarding refunds for people who had bought tickets for the ‘This is It’ concerts at the O2 arena on eBay and paid with PayPal or credit card. eBay has made several announcements and the concert promoters
Michael Jackson Ticket Refunds Update Read More »
It’s amusing to think back to the notion of schools’ television when I was a kid in the 1980s. Whole classes would sit in front of a big telly and watch broadcasts live or on video. The video was much sought after, as I recall. Televisions were wheeled from room to room. Telly time was
TV Nostalgia: The Boy from Space Read More »
The sudden death of Michael Jackson yesterday raises questions for people who have bought tickets for planned concerts this summer at the O2 arena. I’ve had a few emails from people asking what they should do. Here’s my perspective: First, don’t panic. You may have spent a great deal of money on a ticket in
“Help. I bought Michael Jackson Tickets on eBay” Read More »
One non-snobby reason I like Waitrose is the very real commitment to local produce. And one of the reasons to rejoice about this policy is their selection of bottled ales from Sussex. Selflessly, I have taken it upon myself to shell out, stock up and tuck in for you, dear readers. Hepworth’s Pullman. 4.2% Pullman
Real Ale Tasting Notes Read More »
(It seems like I’ve been blogging mostly politics these past few weeks. Here’s a bit of whimsy… the first in a possibly new series of nostalgia telly posts). The Adventure Game lurks dimly in my memory and sometimes I worry that I’m the only person who can recall it. I think it was on at
TV Nostalgia: The Adventure Game Read More »
Every now and again I get asked to comment on eBay and ecommerce. A request a few weeks ago, resulted in a quote in The Independent. But as ever, I submitted much more than was used. So here is the Q and A in full: Has it become easier or harder to make money on
eBay Notes: June 2009 Read More »
I’ve been doing my bit for transparency and democracy in the last day or so, using the Guardian’s crowdsourcing tool to scour the thousands of documents related to MP expenses. I’ve reviewed just over 300 pages. It’s taken me a fair few hours. Here are a few reflections. Great swathes of documents are tedious and
The Guardian and MPs’ Expenses: Loving the Crowd Read More »
In the days before blogging, we bloggers had to fulfil our blogging urges somehow. That’s why in spring 1994, with GCSEs looming that summer, I was a keen writer for my school newspaper. Desperate to report more than school fairs where a splendid time was inevitably had by all, I decided to interview some local
Denis Healey and Me Read More »
I didn’t receive my polling card for last week’s European Elections (we don’t have a county council in Brighton). This is obviously not the end of the world. Anyone who’s on the electoral register can just turn up to the correct polling station and cast their ballot. But, frankly, this isn’t the point. Voting should
What no Polling Card? Read More »
Several people have said to me: “I’m voting Green. I can’t trust any of the main three parties’’ If you’re thinking of voting Green because it’s a fluffy, happy party, I suggest you look a little closer at their policies. It’s not just recycling and renewable energy. It’s an extreme, loony-left programme. Here are some
Why I’m not voting Green Read More »
The Green Party are campaigning hard as the transparent, sleaze-free, squeaky-clean, anti-expenses party. Their anti-fat cat leaflet caught my eye (see below), so I went off to check out the expenses of my Green MEP (and the Green’s leader), Caroline Lucas. To quote a Green Party leaflet I received this week:“We offer a positive alternative
Caroline Lucas MEP: Green Party Fat Cat Read More »
News from the House of Commons. The cross-party performance of “Songs from The Sound of Music” has not been cancelled despite the national outcry regarding MP’s expenses. As Hazel Blears chirped, as she waved a cheque and donned her wimpole at rehearsals: “the show must go on!” This evening of music will begin with a
MP’s Expenses, the Speaker and The Sound of Music Read More »